RW – Session 2

Chapter 2 Working with second-language speakers of English

Social issues = feedbacks
Writing process: Pre-writing >> Drafting >> Getting feedback >> Revising >> Editing
Writing strategy

 Focus on the content not the language

 The idea first, not focus too much on the grammar
 Second language writers may spend too much time on the mechanics of writing such as
sentences, grammar and words – level features
 Second language writers should
 generate meaning at a higher level (ex: link sentences by ideas rather than linking verbs)
 organize the meaning into sentences and finding the appropriate words (be careful, use high
frequency words in the writing, try to avoid using to much synonyms as they do not share
1000% same meanings, don’t mess up the formal and informal words)
 generate the text and revise and edit it later
Rhetorical issues
Writing the reader in mind
Metadiscourse: Plays the roles of organizing the text for the reader and is used to interact with the reader
about the content of the text
 Previews: Looking forward (in the introductory session of each chapter, use the simple future
tense to write the preview)
Ex: You are at the beginning of the chapter 2,3,4 => You tell the reader what you are going write (in this
chapter I will present ABCD)
 Reviews (Tổng quan lý thuyết): Looking backward
 Overviews: Looking at both directions (conclusion of the chapters, present perfect is used in the
overview) [Backward nằm luôn trong chương cũ, nếu bắt đầu chương mới mà có cả chương mới
chương cũ thì sẽ gọi là preview and review]
Read to get information >> Read to write the text
First paragraph of a new section
 Begin with a mini summary + an indication of the structure
 Go directly to the point (avoid writing in Vietnamese way)
Note-taking of useful terms
Read to get the idea >> Learn the language that the expert used in their paper
Examples:
A much debated question is whether …
This study provides new insights into …
The phrase “X” will be used on this study to describe …
Due to practical constraints, this paper cannot provide a comprehensive review of …
RW – Session 2

This study uses a qualitative case study approach to investigate …

This study set out to investigate the usefulness of …
New and old information within a sentence
The old information is the given one – New information should be provided at the end of the sentence.
 Given (Theme/ topic)
Theme: The main idea that you are talking about
 New (Rheme/ comment)
Rheme: What you say about that main idea
A typical discourse: Given … new. Give … new. Given … new
Way to write the theme and rheme:

T1 >> R1 T1 >>R1 >>T2 >> R2 >> T3 >> R3

V
T2 >> R2
V
T3 >> R3

Break up long paragraphs

Long blocks of text: unappealing for readers
The maximum length of a paragraph: 15 lines
Begin a new paragraph when there is a change in focus. (Try to find an appropriate place to cut)
1 page contains 2-3 paragraphs. Each paragraph contains 15-16lines.
Begin a new paragraph when talking about your key findings
 This study shows that …
 Our finding highlights …
Reader prefer sentences that they:
 Only need to read once
 Read quickly because the sentence does not require intense concentration
 Can process word by word and understand the build-up of the authors’ logic immediately
The sentence should not be longer than 3 lines.
Sum up: Paragraph < 15 lines. Sentences <15 words.
What is critical reading?
We treat the thing we read as argument rather than facts
The most characteristic features of critical reading:
 Examine the evidence or arguments presented
RW – Session 2

 Check out ant influences on the evidence or arguments

 Check out the limitations of study design or focus
 Examine the interpretations made
 Decide to what extent you are prepared to accept the authors’ arguments, opinions, or
conclusions.
Linking evidence to argument
 Why the authors considered that what they did was worth doing
 Why it was worth doing in that particular way
 Why the data collected, or the material selected, were the most appropriate
 How the conclusions drawn link to the wider context of their enquiry
Writing critically
The most characteristic features of critical writing are
 A clear and confident refusal to accept the conclusions of other writers
 A balanced presentation of reasons why the conclusions of other writers may be accepted or may
need to be treated with cautions
 A clear presentation of your own evidence and argument, leading to your conclusion
 A recognition of the limitations in your own evidence, arguments, and conclusion